Moon Cape, from the series One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo

1857

Japanese, 1797-1858

Moon Cape almost nostalgically recalls prints from a century past, in which elaborately coiffured courtesans struck glamorous poses in grand suites of rooms. In these earlier prints, the figure was the star attraction. Here, in a dramatic and somewhat poignant reversal, the setting is the central focus and the standing beauty is-literally-a shadow of her former self.

--Catherine Roche, Curatorial Associate, 2010

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Sheet: 14 1/8 x 9 3/4 in. (35.9 x 24.8 cm)

Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

2017.23.23

Provenance: [Peter Gilder, Arts and Designs of Japan, San Francisco, California]; purchased from gallery by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 1980s; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2017

Photo: Colleen Kollar Zorn

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 60, reproduced p. 83.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Legends, Tales, Poetry: Visual Narrative in Japanese Art, Dec. 22, 2012 - July 21, 2013.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Tabaimo: Utsutsushi Utsushi, Nov. 11, 2016 - Feb. 26, 2017.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Renegade Edo: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec, July 21 - Dec. 3, 2023. Text by Xiaojin Wu. No cat. no., pp. 38-39, 100, reproduced pl. 11.

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